William Wallace Covington, Ph.D. - Regents' Professor

Director, Ecological Restoration Institute

Research Interests

Applied Restoration and Conservation of Frequent Fire Forests of the West

Dr. Covington directs NAU's Ecological Restoration Institute, which provides real
work experience, formal course work, and senior practicum or thesis opportunities
for undergraduates in virtually all disciplines at the university. He has received
national and international recognition for his work in forest ecosystem health,
restoration ecology, and fire effects on forest ecosystems. He has been recognized
as Outstanding Teaching Scholar by NAU for his dedication to involving undergraduates
in his applied research projects and bringing research results into the classroom
and into the field.

Dr. Covington presents invited testimony before congressional and state natural
resources committees, gives presentations, and provides continuing education at
all levels from the Washington Offices of conservation agencies (e.g., the Forest
Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the National Park Service) to the field
level. Annual field trips are attended regularly by leaders such as the Secretary
of Interior, the Secretary of Agriculture, the Chief of the Forest Service, the
Director of the National Park Service), as well as regional, state, and local stakeholders
in conservation management. His work on restoration of ecosystem health and natural
resource conservation is often cited in the national news media. As an example,
an article from the journal Science discusses Dr.
Covington's efforts to restore the fire-adapted ecosystems of the West.

Education

B.A., University of North Texas, 1969Biology, senior thesis in oncology/tissue pathology